Nov. 1, 1SGS.] 



HARDWICKE'S S C IEN CE - GOSSIP. 



dens).— The centre of the seed dark brown, covered 

 with conical striate papillae, or spicate projections. 

 Margin with a semi-transparent wing on each side, 

 lobed and waved at the edge, meeting above 

 and below. Outline polygonal. Wing-membrane 

 fragile, with radiating striae, colourless at the edge. 

 Veiy beautiful (fig. 239, x 40). 



Imperial Paulownia (Paulownia imperialis). 

 —Another winged seed, very distinct from the last. 

 Outline elongated, almost fiddle-shaped. Wing 

 colourless and transparent. Smaller and similar 

 membranaceous frills extend along the surface of 

 the seed between the wings. The wings have a 

 peculiar frilled and furbelowed appearance (fig. 240). 



Fig. 240. 



Fig:. 241. 



Gerardia Seed {Gerardia communis). — An ex. 

 traordinary seed, unfortunately very rare in this 

 country. The oval, amber-coloured seed is enclosed 

 in an apparently loose hexagonal network of a dark 

 brown colour, like a bird in a cage. The genus 

 Gerardia is common in North America, but whether 

 the same type of seed prevails amongst the other 

 species we cannot tell. If so, they are most 

 desirable microscopical objects (fig. 241, x 40). 



Barclay's Maurandia {Maurandia Barclay- 

 ana).— Curious, irregular, lobed seeds, resembling 

 ten or twelve minute seeds agglomerated together 

 into one, of a dull cocoa-brown colour, like frag- 

 ments of burnt sugar, with a rough reticulated 

 surface (fig. 242). 



Fig. 242. 



Fig;. 243. 



Marsh Red Pattle {Pedicularis palustris). — 

 Pear-shaped, shining, with a curved cleft or groove 

 on one side. The surface finely reticulated. Colour, 

 chocolate-brown (fig. 243, x 40). 



The examples which we have given are all derived 

 from one natural order, and these of such variable 

 character as of themselves to furnish an interesting 



series. Erom our own experience, we have come to 

 the conclusion that the majority of the Scrophu- 

 lariaceae would furnish good microscopical seeds. 

 Hitherto we have hardly met with an exception, 

 and if we were called upon to recommend any one 

 order of plants the seeds of which should be col- 

 lected, at home or abroad, for microscopical purposes, 

 we should not hesitate to recommend, first of all, 

 the Eigworts, or Eoxglove family, the Scrophu- 

 lariaceee. 



We had hoped that space would be left us to 

 furnish illustrations from one or two other families 

 of plants, but these must be postponed till a future 

 opportunity ; meanwhile, and before all our wild 

 flowers or garden plants have shed their seeds, we 

 advise those who never collected them before to do 

 so at once, and add a few slides of the seeds of this 

 family at least to their cabinet of microscopic 

 objects. 



POLYZOON EPOM VICTORIA DOCKS. 



A PECENT excursion to the above-mentioned 

 J -*- locality has furnished me with a representa- 

 tive of the Polyzoa, which may be familiar to many 

 of the readers of Science-Gossip, but which has 

 hitherto baffled all attempts on my part to identify. 



Its characteristics are as follows : — 



Ccenecium confervoid, membrano-corneous, irre- 

 gularly branched, not composed of distinct cells, 

 but throughout freely communicating. Lophophore 

 orbicular, furnished with neither epistome nor calyx. 

 Tentacles eight in number, cell-orifices surrounded 

 with a circlet of setae. 



The above characters suffice to allot the specimen 

 to its proper order and sub-order — firstly, that of 

 the Infiindibulata, wherein the lophophore is circu- 

 lar; and secondly, that of the Cteiwstomata, including 

 those infundibulate forms wherein the cell-apertures 

 are guarded by protecting setae. Beyond this 

 further progress is barred, it possessing characters 

 common to many, but restricted to no one genus 

 quoted by such authorities as I have had the oppor- 

 tunity of consulting. 



One of the first questions presenting itself is, 

 whether it may be regarded as a fresh-water or 

 marine representative. The .balance of evidence ap- 

 pears to be in favour of the latter supposition, for 

 although found intimately associated with cordylo- 

 phora (the specimens I examined being parasites on 

 its polypary), which will exist for a time in fresh 

 water, an attribute considered by Professor Allman 

 of sufficient import to rank it as a fresh-water inhabi- 

 tant, yet there are other denizens of the same waters 

 which possess essentiallymarine proclivities, speedily 

 falling victims to grim death on being immersed in 

 the pure element, but readily accommodating them- 

 selves to the denser medium of undiluted sea- water. 

 The subjects thus experimented upon were speci- 



